SOPHIA Loren has been voted the world's most naturally beautiful person - at 71.

The sultry Italian star beat a host of younger names such as Cameron Diaz and Johnny Depp.

Loren attributes her curves and complexion to "love of life, spaghetti, and the odd bath in virgin olive oil".

She has spoken about resisting pressure to have cosmetic surgery on her nose early in her career.

Her status as one of the world's sex symbols shows no signs of diminishing. She is appearing in next year's Pirelli calendar, with Penelope Cruz and Naomi Watts.

Beautiful

Even the archbishop of Genoa once observed that, though the Vatican opposed human cloning, "an exception might be made in the case of Sophia Loren".

Second place goes to grey-haired heart-throb George Clooney, followed by curvy Welsh opera-turned-pop star Charlotte Church. Catherine Zeta Jones is next, followed by actor Depp, Kate Winslet and Gwyneth Paltrow.

Actor Jack Black is eighth, followed by Hollywood actress Diaz and presenter Gail Porter, who gets on the list for being "comfortable with who she is" despite losing her hair.

The online poll was on the world's most naturally beautiful people for The Dare To Be Bare Awards, for celebrities who do not conform to stereotypes.